What A Wonderful Alternate World
by Fudogg
Summary: AU where Rose stays in New York after "Homecoming". Full summary inside. Rated M for dark subject matter and language.
1. Chapter 1

What A Wonderful Alternate World

**Disclaimer: Did I ever mention that I don't own American Dragon: Jake Long or any of the characters? Well, I don't. This includes the episode that this story starts us off on: "Homecoming".**

**Summary: When Jake made his wish to save Rose, the only thing that brought him comfort was the fact that Rose was happy. What Jake doesn't know is that thanks to his wish, Rose is now trapped in a world of pain, misery and obsessions. She desperately needs help, but once you make an irreversible wish, there is no going back. Right? **

Chapter One: The Day After

Jake kept his head low as he walked down the halls of Millard Fillmore Middle School alongside his two best friends: Trixie Carter and Arthur "Spud" Spudinski. It was the day after the Homecoming dance, and everyone was talking happily all throughout the halls. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Jake and his friends. As Jake walked down the halls, only one thing was on his mind: last night. It was supposed to be the best night of his life--the best night of their lives. He and Rose had been nominated for Homecoming King and Queen. But he was betrayed. By Rose, no less. But then again, she never wanted to hurt him. She made that fact blatantly clear when she made her wish.

Jake would never forget Rose's voice screaming into the night; condemning herself to death. Jake would never forget the sight of all of the hunters. Gone forever in a bright, electrical light. Wiped from existence. Then, Rose herself had started to ascend into the sky. The exact same thing was going to happen to her. Jake couldn't let her die like that.

Making that wish had to have been the hardest thing he had ever done. There had not been a moment of peace in Jake's mind since the moment he made that wish. There was not a moment when he didn't ask himself: "Was there any way for me to have re-phrased that wish so she could remember?"

"Hey bro, how are you holdin' up?" Jake could hear Spud's concerned voice.

"We missed ya during free period..." Trixie added.

It was not until they reached the doors to the school that Jake felt like speaking. "I spent it patrolling the city..." Jake replied as he pushed open the doors, stepping out into the afternoon sun. "...as far as I can tell, Rose's wish came true. No Huntsclan anywhere..."

"But what about your wish?" Trixie asked as Jake found himself walking closer to the curb. "If the Rose that exists today was never taken by the Huntsclan, that means that all of the stuff between you and her never happened..." Then she added, in a solemn voice. "She lived a whole other life..."

By now, a yellow school bus had stopped right beside Jake, and the mechanical doors opened, allowing all of the carefree other students on to take them home. "As long as she's happy..." Jake decided out loud, placing his skateboard on the ground, and his helmet on his head. "Well, later guys!" Jake took off on his skateboard, not looking where he was going. "I'm off to Gramps' shop for some dragon--uggh!"

Jake grunted as his back collided with something, or more like someone. Jake could see books falling to the ground, and he quickly fell to his knees, hoping to pick them up, only to see that the person had beat him to it. "Sorry, I--" Jake stopped as he watched the person bend down to pick up the books. The girl had lovely blue eyes and wavy golden hair. The girl wore a white blouse, a purple knee-length skirt and purple tennis shoes. As he saw this girl in front of him, Jake felt his spirits rise. There was no doubt about it. It was Rose. "Hey there..."

Rose had managed to stack her three books back up before she looked at the boy. "Hey yourself..." she replied, just as her eyes widened as she saw the boy. "You look really familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" This was true; Rose felt like she knew this boy from somewhere, she just didn't know where. Rose hoped for an answer; she hoped that the boy would say that they went to elementary school together, or something around those lines. Although she didn't know why, she felt like meeting up with someone from her past would possibly cheer her up on a depressing day such as this. That was why Rose was disappointed when she heard the boy's answer:

"No..."

Rose could feel her spirits sinking as they both slowly stood up; Rose found herself looking out into the street, and she could see her parents across from her, standing in front of their car, waving at her. "Well, I better get going..." Rose found herself walking toward the crosswalk. "My parents are here..."

"Hey..." Rose turned back at the sound of the boy's voice. "Look, I'm really sorry; that was careless of me. Let me make it up to you by taking you out for some pizza..."

Rose found herself looking down at her feet. "I'd love to...but I have a boyfriend. I don't think he'd like me going for lunch with anyone other than him; not even my friends. I'll see you around, though..."

Jake could almost feel his heart shattering as Rose told him that she had a boyfriend. Nonetheless, he watched as Rose turned and walked over to her parents, wrapping her arms around them both in a big hug. It was then that Jake couldn't help but smile. Sure, he couldn't be with Rose, but she looked so happy. Jake knew that he had to know his place in Rose's life, and at the moment, he didn't have one. "You too, Rose..." Jake found himself saying. "Happy Homecoming..."

&*%

Rose's happy smile had faded by the time Rose got into the back seat of her parents' car. After putting on her seat belt, Rose looked up at the back of her parents' heads as they drove away from the school. "So, how was school?" her mother turned her head to face Rose. She had sadness in her eyes and tone.

"Both of you are going to go to work tonight, aren't you?" Rose changed the subject, looking down at her lap.

"Yes..." her father replied quickly. "We have to, Rose. You know that..."

"But why?" Rose looked up, fresh tears stinging her eyes. "Why tonight? I don't want to be alone tonight. It's the anniversary..."

"We know, sweetheart..." Rose's mother cut her off. "We know; it's been exactly a year. But...we can't skip out on our jobs. We have to earn the life we live..."

"Why can't you call in sick tonight?" Rose demanded, sniffling. "Please..."

Rose's mother tried to look away from her daughter, tears now welling up in her eyes. "Please, Rose..." she tried. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be. We need to go..."

"No, we need to be a family tonight!" Rose shouted. "I...I can't...I need you..."

"Rose, we've talked about this..." she could hear her father say, his voice breaking as he focused on the road. "...What happened wasn't your fault...."

"Here..." Rose's mother wiped away her forming tears with one hand as she used her other to grab her purse from beside the seat. Reaching in, Rose's mother held out a fifty dollar bill and extended it toward her daughter. "Please, Rose. Order yourself a nice, big pizza..."

Rose just stared blankly at the money in her mother's hand, more tears rolling down her cheeks. Finally, Rose managed to speak: "I don't want the money, and I don't want pizza. I want you to stay home with me tonight. I...I want my sister back..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So yeah...What did you think? Was it any good? Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

What a Wonderful Alternate World

**Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon!**

Chapter Two: Painful Memory

Rose's lip quivered as she watched her parents drive off in their car after they dropped her off at their house. Sniffling, Rose turned and slowly started to walk up the steps of the house. It was a rather nice house; the windows were new, as was the door, which had a stained glass window above the knocker, and it was painted with a fresh coat of light blue paint. Rose bent down and lifted up the welcome mat, reaching for the key. Standing back up, Rose put the key in the slot; turning the key, Rose opened the door and stepped inside.

As Rose closed the door behind her, she was not really surprised to see how dark the house was. Flipping the light switch, Rose turned around the corner and walked into the family room. She didn't want to be in this room, but she had something she had to do. If she was going to get any peace of mind tonight, there was something she had to do. Setting her backpack down, Rose slowly walked over to the mantle, silently preparing herself for whatever guilt and sadness that would hit her.

Rose stopped; her face just inches from the mantle. Taking a deep breath, Rose allowed herself to look: on the mantle, there were three framed pictures, all of a girl with short blonde hair and glasses. Rose's twin sister: Emma. While Rose was the more social of the two, Emma was a so-called "bookworm". While Rose kept her beautiful golden locks long and flowing, Emma preferred to have it short and in a very short pony-tail. Rose was also confused as to why Emma had needed glasses, while her eyesight had always been absolutely fine. Emma and Rose had joked that she was actually adopted and that she coincidentally looked just like Rose, but both girls had seen their birth certificates. They were identical twins.

Rose tried to avoid looking at each of the three pictures as she turned them face down. Besides, she knew them all by heart: the one on the left was one of Emma as she held her trophy after she had won her fifth grade spelling bee. After turning the first one on its "face", Rose moved to the third one, skipping the one in the middle. The third one on the right was one of Emma on her first bike without training wheels. Face down it went. Then, Rose walked over to the one in the middle: it was of Rose and Emma together, Emma's arm was over Rose's shoulder while they were at an amusement park. They both had big, happy smiles on their faces. On that day, no one would have ever guessed that only a week later, Emma would be dead.

Emma was murdered, and Rose was there when it had happened. It was her fault. As Rose lowered the picture face down on the mantle, she couldn't keep the memory from her mind:

_It was a rather chilly Friday night in October, and Rose was lying on her bed, trying to get some sleep. It was late; about midnight. Rose had never gone to bed this late before, not even on weekends._

_Rose felt very relaxed under her warm covers, and she could start to feel her eyes starting to close. However, just before she started to feel herself drift off, she heard her door open, she could hear footsteps, and the next thing she knew, she could feel a gentle shaking. Rose groaned as she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. "What is it, Emma?" she asked._

_Emma was wearing a pair a jeans, sandals, and a winter coat over a black, button up dress shirt. "Rose, do you know what tonight is?" Emma asked, an eagerness in her tone._

_"No..."_

_"Rose, I've been telling you about this for the last month!" Emma frowned slightly. "It's the start of the one week only showings of __Basements and Goblins__. You know, that obscure 1950's B-Movie. I've wanted to see it since I first heard about it back in the third grade! Look, I even got you a ticket! Here..." She quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out a ticket which she lightly forced into her twin's hands. "We need to get going! The film starts in a half hour!"_

_"Oh, Emma..." Rose moaned, and she looked at the ticket in her hands as Emma got off of her bed. "...I'd love to...but, it's late and I'm really tired..."_

_"Oh..." Emma stopped and she turned Around, a small pout on her face. "...But...I thought this would be quality time that we can spend together..."_

_Rose stared at her twin's pout. Emma was known to do that when she wanted to guilt somebody into listening to one of her rants about something no one really cared about. Rose knew that her sister was merely trying to get her way, but it always got to her._

_"Alright..." Rose sighed, pulling off the covers of her bed and slowly standing, inviting her sister to see her purple, plain pajamas. "Give me five minutes to get dressed..."_

_&*%_

_Within twenty five minutes, both Emma and Rose had arrived at the movie theater. "Come on, Rose!" Emma was panting, but despite this, she was rushing through the lobby of the theater after the ticket taker had torn their tickets. "The movie is starting in five minutes!" _

_Within another four minutes, both girls had gotten inside the theater where the movie would be playing, and just as they took their seats, the lights went out and the film started. Rose could hear her sister fidgeting in her chair from excitement, while she simply braced herself for a long night. _

_Within fifteen minutes into the film, Rose was struggling to fight the force trying to lull her to sleep: the film. She was trying to stay awake for her sister, but the movie was so boring and poorly done, the acting was atrocious, and the music seemed like it belonged in a 1940's Screwball comedy, not a 1950's horror/sci-fi film._

_At least Emma was enjoying herself. Or, so Rose thought. _

_Rose's eyes were on the verge of closing and she could feel herself drifting off, but before she could fall into slumber, the unsettling feeling of hunger attacked. Rose slowly opened her eyes as she heard her stomach growl. Then, Rose decided on a way to get out of this horrid movie experience. Getting food!_

_Rose slowly turned her head to Emma, only to see that her sister had an angry look on her face and her arms were crossed. "Rose..." she whispered. "I'm going to be blunt: this movie stinks. It's nothing like I thought it would be."_

_"Well..." Rose whispered back. "I'm hungry. I was going to get some food. If you want to come with me..."_

_"You don't have to ask me twice!" Emma said with relief as she got up out of her chair._

_&*%_

_Rose sighed with relief as she and her sister stepped out of the theater and into the lobby, where they made their way over to the snack bar, where there was only one person in front of them: a tall man or older teen with a black jacket and hood over his head. _

_"So, what do you want?" Rose turned and asked her sister, just as she could hear the person in front of them shout: "GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR MONEY!"_

_As she heard Emma letting out a small gasp, Rose turned her head to see the person wielding a knife as the clerk reached into the cash register. The man with the knife turned his head, and he glared at the two twins. "Stay where you are and don't make any movements..." he ordered just as the clerk pulled out all of the money, which was not that much; probably only thirty dollars. _

_The man grabbed the money and stuffed it into the pocket of his money before he turned and started to run for the door. "Hey..." Rose said. "...He can't get away with this!"_

_"Rose, please..." Emma pleaded, but Rose refused to listen._

_"No..." Rose growled. "He only has a knife! I can take him..."_

_"Don't be absurd..."_

_"HEY YOU, GET BACK HERE!" Rose shouted on impulse, taking a step forward._

_"Rose, no!" Emma shouted, stepping in front of Rose, trying to stop her; her back was to the man. Emma had stopped Rose, just as a loud noise came from the other side of the room, and Emma eyes widened in shock and agony; her body tensing and falling forward into Rose's arms. _

_As Rose held onto her sister's body that was being dragged to the ground by gravity, Rose glanced at the man. A gun was in his hand, and he turned and ran out the door of the theater. He had shot Emma._

_As Emma's body touched the ground, Rose found herself kneeling down, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Emma was lying on her stomach, and Rose could see Emma's back perfectly; blood was oozing from the wound and was seeping through her coat. Not knowing what else to do, Rose rolled Emma over onto her back, and more tears started to fall as Rose saw he sister. Emma's eyes were wide open and her lips quivered as she shook from the pain and the blood she had lost and was still losing. "R--Ro--Rose..." Emma managed, the light in her eyes already fading._

_"No, Emma..." Rose silently wept, the clerk jumping over the counter and crouching down beside Emma. "Wh--What d...do I do?" Rose asked between sobs, watching Emma's body slowly relax, her eyes slowly fluttering shut. "No!" Rose gasped. "Emma!"_

_"She needs CPR." the clerk stated, getting down on his belly and putting his hands on Emma's chest. "You give her air, and I'll push..."_

_Not knowing what else to do, Rose found herself nodding, and she got lower, putting her lips to Emma's lips. "Now blow!" the clerk ordered, and Rose complied. "Again!" Rose once again complied. "Again!" _

_Rose blew air into Emma's mouth about nine or ten times, but it did not do any good. Finally, the clerk stopped putting pressure onto Emma's chest, and he sat up, Rose looking up from Emma's lifeless face as he shook his head._

_By that time, the police had arrived, and they had pulled Rose away from Emma's body, telling her that they were going to try to revive her. They dragged Rose to the other side of the theater and sat her down, but from over the cops' shoulders, Rose could see the paramedics kneeled down by Emma's side, shooting electricity into her body with two defibrillators. They used the defibrillators about three times, each time, Emma's body jerked, but did not move again. Rose then watched with tears in her eyes as two police officers arrived and placed a white sheet over Emma's body._

_At thirteen years of age, Emma, Rose's twin sister and best friend, was dead. _

As Rose finished replaying the memory through her mind, she was curled up in a fetal position on the couch, tears pouring down her cheeks. She would never forget the looks on her parents' faces when the cops had brought Rose home and had told them that their other daughter was dead. She would never forget the funeral. Emma was now buried at the local cemetery.

Rose's parents had repeatedly tried to assure Rose that it was not her fault. While they told her that she could have kept her mouth shut, they told her that there was no way she could have known that leaving the theater where the film was playing was one of the events that had condemned Emma to death. They told her that no matter how many told herself otherwise, Emma still could have been shot even if Rose had not decided to go with.

Rose wasn't so sure. Maybe if she hadn't gone, Emma would have stayed in the theater because she wouldn't know how else to escape without walking out and losing the money she spent on the tickets. If she hadn't wanted food, they both would have stayed. Or maybe if Rose had told Emma to stay put, it would have been her going into the ground in a casket, not Emma. If she had just stayed silent, then maybe the robber just would have left and nobody would have been hurt.

The robber--he had never been caught. Rose tried to tell herself that the robber going to prison wouldn't bring Emma back, but deep in Rose's mind, she had wanted the murderer to pay. Fortunately, as time passed, Rose forgot all about the robber, and she instead devoted her negative energy on Emma. On how sad she was about Emma leaving...About how it was her fault...

Rose was brought out of her thoughts as she heard a ringing coming from her backpack. Opening her, backpack, Rose sniffled as she looked at the name of the caller: her boyfriend, Brad Morton.

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Yeah, this is rated M for a reason. How was it, though? Was it any good? Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

What A Wonderful Alternate World

**Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon: Jake Long.**

**WARNING: This chapter is one of the reasons why I have given this an M rating. The situation could be considered inappropriate by some. You have hereby been warned. **

Chapter Three: Boyfriend Problems

Rose sniffled as she as she looked at who was calling her. Brad. Brad Morton was the captain of the football team at their school. Rose had met him about three weeks after Emma had died. She had been walking by the door of the gym lost in her depressing thoughts when Brad opened the door, hitting her right in the face. Brad had been kind to her at that moment in time; he took her to the school nurse. At that moment in time, Rose had been completely fooled; she had seen Brad as a rather sweet guy, and she had told him that she forgave him and also told him her name; Brad had then started to call her "Rose-a-licious".

It became obvious to Rose that Brad was a narcissist, but Rose did not care. She was still in pain after she lost her sister, and she wanted someone to make her forget, to make her feel good about herself. Unfortunately, it soon turned out that Brad was not a person who could do that. After about only a day after becoming an official couple, Rose realized that Brad did not really care about what had recently happened in her life; he only cared about her looks. Then, after about another three weeks, Rose realized that there was something else in her that Brad was interested in--despite them both being minors, Brad had wanted her to make love to him.

Then, when Rose had downright refused to do the deed, Brad had revealed himself to be an even bigger asshole; he had slapped her across the face, and then left the house. Rose knew that without a doubt that it would be no different tonight. Then why did Rose accept the call? Even as she put her phone to her ear, Rose did not know why.

"Hey, Rose-a-licious!" Brad's confident voice rang into Rose's ear. "Guess what? I'm on my way over to your house!"

Rose sniffled again before she answered: "Brad..." she whimpered. "Please...not tonight. I'm not feeling well."

"Well, lucky you..." Brad continued. "Cause the Bradster is gonna make his girl feel better. I'll be over in a few..."

"Brad, please..." Rose tried, but it was too late. The line went dead, and Rose found herself lowering her phone, shutting it and putting it back into her backpack. By the time Rose had sat back up, she could hear a knock on the door.

"ROSE-A-LICIOUS!" She could hear Brad on the other side of the door. Groaning, Rose quickly used her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes and she slowly got up and walked to the door. After taking a deep breath, Rose grabbed the knob and opened the door, allowing her to see Brad smiling at her. "Hey, Rose-a-licious..." he winked at her as he walked inside.

"Hey, Brad..."

"You don't look like you're feeling bad..." Brad pointed out, his smile widening.

"I'm not sick, Brad..." Rose admitted. "It's just--it's the one year anniversary of my sister's murder. I'm not feeling up to anything..."

Rose wasn't expecting Brad to care about her feelings, so she wasn't surprised when he just waved his hand. "Like the Bradster cares, babe. I'm goin' to make you feel good. The Bradster has a surprise for you..."

Rose watched as Brad reached into the pocket of his jeans, and she felt a feeling of nausea when she recognized the two steel cuffs that were attached together with a single, small chain. "The Bradster's dadster is cop..." Brad said proudly. "I took these from his dresser this morning...See, I think I've figured out why you didn't want to get it on with me. My Rose-a-licious was afraid that she would have too much power. So I figured, this will relieve her of that fear..."

Hearing Brad say these words, Rose's stomach lurched, and Rose found herself putting her hand to her mouth. Rose then found herself taking several quick, deep breaths to calm herself down. "So, what does my Rose-a-licious think?" Brad asked.

Rose's hand shook as she brought it away from her mouth. It was now or never; speak now or never get free. "N...N...N...No, B...Br...Brad..." Rose made out, her voice getting stronger as she went on. "I to...tol...told y...you th...you that I don...don't want to have intercourse with you. I never will. I...I've h...had it, Brad. I'm d...done. G...Get out. Get out of my house. Don't come back."

Brad's smile slowly started to fade, and he lowered his hand with the handcuffs in them. "What are you sayin', babe?"

"I'm saying, Brad..." Rose found that she now had the strength to do this. Raising her hand, she pointed at the front door. "We're through. Get out and don't come back. If you do, I'll call the police."

Rose smiled triumphantly as she finished speaking, but her grin faded when she saw that look in Brad's eyes. She knew what was coming, but she still could do nothing to stop it. Rose grunted as Brad's clenched fist made contact with her stomach, and she found herself hunching over as Brad grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You bitch!" He shouted, then added as he slammed her against the wall of the stairs, making her hit the back of her head against the rail of the stairs. "You fucking bitch!" He then added as he let go of Rose, who fell to her knees. Seething with rage, Brad knelt down so he was looking Rose in the eyes. "Maybe you don't get it, you bitch, but my father is a cop! You can't touch me. I can do whatever I want and Dadster will always bail me out..."

Then, Brad stood up straight and stormed over to the door, pulling it open. Then, as he stood in the doorway, he turned and sneered at her. "I can do what I want..." he repeated. "You better watch out, bitch! You haven't seen the last of me! I'll get what I want out of you!" Then, he slammed the door behind him. Rose watched as the door slammed shut, and then, her arms trembling beneath her, she allowed herself to lie down on the floor, her tears returning.

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, here it is. What do you think. Do you think it's too bad? Please be honest. Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

What A Wonderful Alternate World

**Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon: Jake Long!**

Chapter Four: Refusing Help

It had been about an hour since Brad had left the house, but Rose still was on the floor. Her tears were still running down her cheeks, falling sideways onto the hardwood floor. Even though she knew no one could find her like this, Rose had no intention of getting up off the floor.

However, fate had other plans. As Rose sniffled, using her hand with her dragon-shaped birthmark to wipe the tears from her cheek, the fourteen year old girl nearly jumped in surprise as she heard a ringing sound coming from the kitchen. Perhaps it was the fact that she had hit her head, but Rose did not realize that it was the phone in the kitchen until the third ring.

Groaning, Rose pushed herself up into a sitting position before getting to her feet. Rose took one step toward the kitchen, but she stopped abruptly, squeezing her eyes shut and putting her hand to the spot on her stomach where Brad had hit her. It hurt to walk, and she was tempted to just sit back down on the floor, but as she heard another ring, she knew that she had to get it. It could be her parents on the other end; they were worried about her, and if she didn't pick up and prove to them that everything was more or less fine, they could come home and find her like this. Rose could not have that.

Summoning up all of her courage, Rose tried to block all thoughts of pain from her mind as she jogged into the kitchen. As Rose grabbed the phone, she became completely aware of all of the pain signals that her stomach was shooting to her brain, and as the phone rang in her hand, Rose failed in the test that she had given herself: holding in a sob of pain.

Finally managing to compose herself, Rose accepted the call and put the phone to her ear. "Rose?" Sure enough, the person on the phone was none other than her mother. "Rose, are you there?"

"I'm here, Mom..." Rose said, her voice cracking.

"Rose, are you okay? You sound like you've been crying."

"I'm..." Rose stopped herself, trying to think of a good enough lie to fool her mother. Finally, she found one: "I...I...I just miss Emma..."

"I know you do, sweetheart..." her mother said. "...Your father and I do too. But, you just have to let it go. You can't waste your life mourning her, Rose. It'll kill you. You have to move on, baby. You just need to tell yourself that she's in a better place..."

"She's underground inside a box, Mom..."

There was a pause before her mother spoke again, and when she finally did speak again, it was obvious from her choked tone that Rose's words had hurt. "Yes..." She said. "...Rose, listen. We're worried about you. However, the reason I called you is because we're going to be home early; we just left the office, so we should be home in about twenty minutes. If you want, we can bring you home something to eat. Would you like something to eat?"

"No..." Rose answered quickly. "I was just about to go to bed. I just want to sleep. I don't want to be bothered..."

"Rose..." Rose's mother quickly cut her off. "Just about two hours ago, you were begging us to stay home with you; you begged us not to leave you alone. What's changed?"

"I'm..." Rose once again tried to think of a lie. "...I'm tired, Mom. I didn't sleep well last night. I just...want to sleep..."

It took another moment for her mother to reply. "Alright, baby. We'll leave you alone. We'll see you tomorrow. Just...please try to cheer up tomorrow..."

"I'll try..." Rose said silently before she hung up the phone. Rose found that she felt a pain in her stomach as she put the phone back on the receiver, so when pulled her arm back, she put her hand on her stomach. It was going to be a battle to get up to her room...

Rose slowly made her way out to the stairs, and taking a deep breath, she slowly took each step one at a time...

&*%

By the time Rose got to her room and collapsed onto her bed, her stomach was throbbing from where Brad had hit her. The tears returning, Rose tried to think of something other than her sister, so she found herself thinking about her conversation with her mother.

Rose did not like lying to her parents, but she had been doing so since the day that Brad had turned abusive. Even then, she really didn't know why she always tried to come up with excuses for why she had bruises without telling them that Brad had inflicted them onto her. Perhaps it was because she didn't want Brad to be mad at her, or because she didn't want her parents to be mad at Brad. Perhaps it was because she was afraid to let her parents see her as a weakened victim of abuse.

Whatever the case, Rose had lied to them; she was keeping a big secret from her parents. She was refusing help, and as she fell asleep, she wondered how long it would take for it to finally blow up in her face. It had been almost a year...it couldn't possibly be that much longer...

&*%

When Rose woke up the next morning, she was relieved to find that her stomach no longer throbbed with pain, and it was simply sore. Rose slowly got off of her bed and walked out of the room, taking her time as she walked down the stairs. Once she got to the bottom step, she turned and walked into the kitchen where she found both of her parents sitting at the table.

As Rose sat down at her seat, she looked down at her plate and found that there were three pancakes there. "I made pancakes..." her mother looked into her eyes. "They're your favorite, right?"

"Sure..." Rose said, raising her head.

"Rose, there's one more thing..." her mother continued. "You see, there was a little bit of a trade-off we had to make when we chose to come home early. We need to go in early today...so we won't be able to pick you up. Okay? You can walk home today, right?"

"Sure..." Rose repeated.

&*%

After quickly eating her breakfast, Rose left the kitchen and went into the living room, where she picked up her backpack. Then, she left the house.

As Rose walked down the steps of her house and moved onto the sidewalk, she took a deep breath of fresh air, and as she continued walking toward her school, that thought hit her once more: Without telling anyone about her personal problems, how much longer could she avoid getting really hurt?

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, there's Chapter Four. Please tell me what you think in a review. **


	5. Chapter 5

What A Wonderful Alternate World

**Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon: Jake Long!**

**WARNING: Once again, here we are. Only this time, this is the main reason this story is rated M. This chapter has some very disturbing content. You have been warned. **

Chapter Five: Horrific Discovery

Jake sighed as he closed his locker at Millard Fillmore Middle School. Now that he had his chemistry book in his hands, Jake walked down the hall where he found Trixie and Spud by Trixie's locker. Trixie closed her locker just as Jake arrived in front of them. "Hey, dude..." Spud spoke. "Are you feelin' any better?"

"I guess..." Jake answered.

"That's good to hear, Jakie..." Trixie smiled as she put her hand on his shoulder. "I mean...you can always find someone else..."

"Yeah..." Jake replied slowly, turning around from Trixie and Spud. "Well, come on guys. We need to get to cl..." However, before Jake could finish his sentence, he gasped as the doors to the school opened, and Rose stepped inside. She was walking slowly; almost like a turtle, and her eyes were dull. Her arms hung loosely at her side, her backpack being dragged across the floor. She looked horrible.

"Yo..." Jake finally managed to make out. "What's wrong with her? She looks horrible! I mean..."

"Maybe she just didn't get enough sleep..." Spud suggested.

"Yeah, Jakie..." Trixie agreed. I'm sure home girl's just tired or something. I mean, you did give her the life she always wanted..."

"Yeah..." Jake looked down at the floor. "I guess you're right."

&*%

The school day dragged on forever. As she sat in all of her classes, Rose found herself biting her nails. She just wanted to get out of school. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be with her parents. Just when Rose felt like the day was never going to end, Rose sighed with relief as she heard the bell ringing. Rose quickly got up from her seat and slung her backpack over her shoulder, hurrying out of the room.

&*%

"So, Jakie..." Trixie asked as she, Spud and Jake were outside the school, all three were facing each other. "You want to the skate park?"

However, Jake was not listening to Trixie. As Trixie spoke, Jake turned his head toward the doors of the school, and his eyes widened as he watched Rose exit. As she walked down the steps and started to walk down the sidewalk.

Jake tried to take a look at her, but he found that it was difficult. She still looked bad. She was as slow as a snail and her head was hung. Jake was starting to think that Rose was having more problems than just not enough sleep.

"Yo, Jakie!" Trixie snapped her fingers, and Jake found himself looking back at Trixie's face. "Are you listening to me, boy?"

"Huh?" Jake asked.

"Bro, she was asking you if you wanted to go to the skate park..." Spud told him.

"Oh..." Jake replied slowly, slowly turning his head so he could see Rose still walking away from the school. "...Guys, you'd know that I'd love to, but...there's a place I need to be. Sorry!" Jake then broke away from his friends and started to follow Rose, but just as he took three steps, he heard his cell phone go off in his pocket.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Jake pressed a button, and he could instantly hear his grandfather's booming voice: "JAKE, HURRY UP AND GET TO CENTRAL PARK! THERE IS A DRAGON EMERGENCY!"

"Aw man!"

&*%

Rose didn't look up from the ground as she continued to slowly walk home. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get yesterday out of her mind. Trying to think of something to try to held herself, Rose started to take notice of the lines in the pavement that she was walking on. Counting the lines--it was a boring task, but at least it could keep her mind at ease.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.

Rose continued to count the lines as she walked down the pavement until she heard the sound of sirens approaching her. Seconds later, the sirens stopped, and Rose turned around to see a police cruiser coming to a halt at the curb. However, that wasn't really what surprised Rose, what surprised her was the person at the wheel.

"Brad?"

"Hey, Rose-a-licious..." Brad grinned. "...You know the best thing about being sixteen? You can drive!"

"Wh--What are you doing here?"

Brad's smile widened, but his casual tone was now gone: "I told you that I was gonna get what I wanted outta you..."

The next thing Rose knew, two doors of the cruiser had closed, and before Rose knew it, there was a sound of ripping tape as Rose felt two sets of arms grab her as a piece of silver duct tape was placed over her mouth. "Mpph!" Rose shouted out, trying to fight, but as she tried to fight, she found herself being slammed against the side of the cruiser. "Mppphhh!" Rose grunted in pain over the tape of her mouth, as her arms were forced behind her back. Then, Rose heard two clicks and she felt two steel cuffs press against her skin.

Then, the two sets of hands grabbed onto her arms and forced her into the back of the cruiser. Even as her heart raced, Rose could feel the two sit down in-between her as the cruiser drove off. Once the car was in motion, Rose could take a look at who these two were who had abducted her while Brad stayed in the car. She recognized them immediately: two of Brad's jock buddies.

"Brad, what are we gonna do now?" one of them asked.

"We're taking her to a deserted alley..." Brad replied quickly. "The others are waiting for us there. No one will be able to see us there..."

&*%

After a couple of minutes, the cruiser came to a stop. As she looked out the back side window of the cruiser, Rose's heart started to pound as she realized that there was a group of about eight more football jocks.

As the side door opened and one of the jocks that had abducted her stepped out, Rose's heart started to race and she started to hyperventilate through the tape over her mouth. She tried to fight, but as the two jocks grabbed on to her, she knew it was useless.

The two jocks that had abducted her forced her to walk deep into the alley, then they shoved her, and Rose fell over onto her stomach. As she rolled over onto her side, Rose found that Brad was standing at her side. "On your back..." he told her. Rose just stared back at him, her eyes wide with fear. It wasn't until Brad made a movement with his foot that indicated that he would kick her, did Rose comply and roll over.

On her back, Rose lifted her head and watched as one of the jocks kneeled down at her feet. Then, Rose's eyes widened and she started to scream into her gag as the jock reached out and grabbed the hem of her skirt, slowly starting to pull it down...

&*%

Jake flapped his wings as he flew over to Central Park. It had been about ten minutes since he had taken off, and Jake could now start to see Central Park.

After about another minute, Jake landed on the grass, and he started to look around for any sign of trouble. However, as the American Dragon walked around, searching the entire park, Jake could not find any sign of anything bad going down.

However, just as Jake approached a wooded area, he let out a yell of surprise as something slammed into him. Flying backwards, Jake grunted as he landed on his back, and looking up, his eyes widened as a large griffin stepped out of the woods, roaring at him.

"Aw man..." Jake moaned, slowly picking himself up off of the grass as the griffin flew at him. Flying up into the air, Jake tried to soothe the creature. "Yo, I don't want to fight you! Just try to tell me what's going on!" Even to Jake, this felt like a stupid thing to say; he knew that griffins could not talk. Still, he tried to soothe the creature. "I'm the Am Drag! Let me help you!"

Unfortunately, this did not have the calming effect on the creature that Jake had hoped for. The griffin flew up and slammed into Jake, sending him flying backwards, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop; he was going so fast that if he flared his wings, the wind would snap them.

"WHOA!" Jake shouted as he whizzed through the air. As he flew, Jake could see that the griffin was coming after him. "Aw man!" Jake moaned again. He didn't know what to do. The griffin was coming after him and he could do nothing to defend himself.

_No! _Jake thought to himself. He had to do something to save himself. "Come on, body!" Jake found himself trying to order his body around. As he continued to fly through the air, Jake grunted as she tried to roll himself over so he could start to fly and get away. "Come on..."

Finally, Jake smiled with victory as his body finally rolled over, and flapping his wings, he sped away just as the griffin was about to swipe at him. Jake laughed as he looked back at the griffin before he turned his head back so he could see where he was going. Jake could see that he was now back in the city, hovering over a bunch of buildings with gaps in-between them. He was home free.

Jake was just about to speed up when he felt a nip at his tail; turning his head back, Jake could see the griffin biting his tail. "HEY!" Jake shouted, and he dived down into one of the alleys, yanking his tail out of the creature's beak.

Jake touched down on the alley floor and he looked up to see the screeching creatures flying by the alley. "Oh, let's see how you like being chased, punk!" Jake growled, and he was just about to take off, but he stopped in his tracks when he heard a soft, muffled whimpering sound.

"Hello?" Jake asked, turning around to face the heart of the alley, only to gasp at what he saw in front of him. There was a person lying in the alley, and as Jake got closer, he could see that it was a girl. As Jake got right next to the girl, he once again gasped. It was Rose.

She was on her side, her arms behind were behind her back, and as Jake peered over, he could see that they were held in place with handcuffs, and there was a piece of duct tape placed over her lips. Her skirt and underwear were also pulled down. Jake's eyes widened and he felt his stomach churn. He knew exactly what had happened to her.

Jake could hear a whimpering coming from the girl, and Jake could see that her eyes were squeezed shut she was shaking, although if it was from fear, the cold or a result of her assault, he did not know.

"Oh God..." Jake muttered, but he found this to have been a mistake when he heard a terrified squeal coming from the girl. Turning his head so he was looking at her face, Jake could see that she was staring right at him, her eyes were wide with fear. "No..." Jake found himself saying. "No...It's okay..."

However, his words fell on deaf ears. For Rose had finally been through too much to handle. The next thing Rose knew, her eyes were closing, and she was in complete darkness...

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Ooh, what's going to happen to Rose? Is she going to be okay? You'll find out in the next chapter, and the only way for that to happen is if you review.**


	6. Chapter 6

What A Wonderful Alternate World

**A/N: I don't own American Dragon. Disney does.**

Chapter Six: Hospital Visitors

"Rose?" Rose's mother called out through the house as she and her husband stepped inside, her husband closing the door behind him. "Rose?" She repeated, taking off her jacket and placing it on the coat rack. "Rose, we're home!" Rose's mother waited for an answer, a frown making its way onto her face when she got no answer.

"She might be in her room..." Rose's father said. "I'll go check..."

Rose's mother nodded, and she walked into the kitchen. Pulling a glass from the cabinet, Rose's mother went over to the refrigerator and started to get herself a glass of water. However, as Rose's mother put the glass to her lips, she nearly jumped in shock as the phone started to ring.

After getting passed the shock, Rose's mother walked over to the phone and answered it. "Hello?" She asked as she put the phone to her ear. A few seconds later, her eyes widened and the phone slipped from her hand, dropping to the kitchen floor.

&*%

Screeching tires could be heard as the car of Rose's parents came to a halt at the front of the nearest hospital. Rose's mother quickly took off her seatbelt and pulled open the door, running off toward the sliding door that led to the inside of the hospital. "Honey!" she could hear her husband calling her, but she didn't listen to him. She didn't care. The only she cared about was her daughter.

Rose's mother could smell the clean smell of the hospital as she rushed through the door, running up to the receptionist's desk. The receptionist looked up from whatever she was working on when she heard the panting nest to her. "Can I help you?" she asked, just as Rose's father walked up and joined his wife. "Oh..." the receptionist's eyes widened. "...You must be that girl's parents. I'll alert the doctor..."

"Wh...What happened to her?" Rose's mother tried to ask.

"I'll let the doctor tell you that..." the receptionist told her. "...Because frankly, I'm not entirely sure. From the looks of her, she was attacked..."

As she heard this report, Rose's mother let out a whimper of fear for her remaining child. The receptionist seemed to notice this, and said: "I am sorry. Please take a seat. The doctor will be with you shortly."

Despite her fears, Rose's mother nodded, and she followed her husband over to the seats. The two had just sat down when they saw a man wearing a white coat over a pair of green scrubs walking over to them. "Are you the doctor?" Rose's father asked once the man had reached them.

"Yes..." the man replied. "...My name is Doctor Johnson. I am terribly sorry about your daughter..."

"Is she going to be alright?" Rose's father asked, cutting the doctor off.

Doctor Johnson chuckled. "Yes, I believe she'll be quite fine..." he told them. "I'd like to take you to her. Please come with me..." Doctor Johnson started to walk away from the chairs, and after a few seconds, both of Rose's parents were following him.

"What happened to her?" Rose's father asked.

"The receptionist said that she was attacked..." Rose's mother added as Doctor Johnson led them to a door. Doctor Johnson typed in a code on a pad on the wall next to the door, and after that, a light on the door flashed red, and Doctor Johnson pulled open the door, allowing the two parents to go in before him.

"Attacked is not the word I would use, ma'am..." Doctor Johnson said as he rejoined the two. The three were now walking down a long hall, where there were several rooms containing patients in beds inside them. "Sir...Ma'am...Your daughter was raped..."

This got a gasp out of Rose's mother, who buried herself in her husband's arms, Rose's father closing his eyes as a look of horror appeared on his face. "Gang raped to be exact..." Doctor Johnson continued. "I am so sorry..."

By now, the three had stopped, and Doctor Johnson peeked into a room. "She is in here..." he said. "Now...your daughter lost consciousness before we got to her, and she has not regained it. She should be perfectly fine. However, I think I should warn you about some of things she might go through after a traumatic event like this. It is more likely than not that she will blame herself for what happened to her. She'll be ashamed of herself, she'll possibly cut herself off from relationships--"

"We won't let her..." Rose's mother blurted out. "We're going to make sure that she'll be okay. We're going to make sure that she knows that we'll be by her side through all of this."

Doctor Johnson looked as if he was about to say something, but to the surprise of both of Rose's parents, he did not. Instead, he turned and walked into the hospital room. As they followed Doctor Johnson into the room, Rose's parents could see Rose lying on her back in the bed. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be sleeping soundly over the sound of the beeping heart monitor.

"She's still asleep..." Doctor Johnson replied, turning around to face Rose's parents. "Ah, I'm sure that she will be awake soon. Ah, I'd like you to meet the boy who saved your daughter's life..." As he spoke, Doctor Johnson pointed to the corner of the room, and both of Rose's parents turned to see a boy with spiky black hair with some green coloring in it sitting in a chair. He also wore blue jeans/shorts and a red jacket. His arms were crossed and he had a worried and angry look on his face.

"...He is the one who found your daughter and called 911..." Doctor Johnson continued.

"Thank you, young man..." Rose's mother immediately said, walking over to him. "We owe you our thanks."

"Don't mention it..." the boy said. "...Just as long as she's alright..."

"She will be..." Rose's mother continued. "...Thanks to you..."

However, before she could continue, she felt her husband put his hand on her shoulder. "Wait a minute..." he said. "...How do we know that he isn't one of the people who did this to her?"

"Well, while I find that highly unlikely..." Doctor Johnson said. "...The police will investigate him. For the moment, though, he is the hero who saved your daughter's life."

Just as Doctor Johnson spoke, both of Rose's parents and Jake looked toward the hospital bed as Rose started to groan. A few seconds later, all three of them were at the side of the bed, just in time for them to see Rose open her eyes.

"My baby!" Rose's mother dropped to her knees, her arms over the bed as she started to stroke Rose's hair. "Baby..."

Rose blinked a few times before she slowly started to turn her head so she was staring right into her mother's eyes. "Mom?" she asked in a raspy, tired tone. "Wh...Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, sweetie..." Rose's mother said softly, still stroking her hair. "You're going to be alright..." Then, her face lit up and she reached out, grabbing Jake by the sleeve of his jacket, making him step up so Rose could see him.

"You..." Rose slowly made out, blinking.

"Hi, Rose..." Jake said with a small smile on his face, realizing too late his mistake. He had never told her his name. Not in this life that she had. Jake could see that Rose was thinking almost exactly the same thing; her eyes were wide and her lip trembled.

"H...How do you know my name?" she slowly asked. "I never told you..."

"Rose..." Jake found himself looking down at the floor. "There are many things that are better left in the past..."

"Rose..." Jake mentally sighed with relief as he heard Rose's mother speak again. "...This is the boy that saved you. He found you in the alley and called for an ambulance..."

After hearing this, Jake looked back up at Rose, and he could see that Rose's eyes were even wider, only this time with fear. "N...No..." Rose made out. "I...It can't be...It was...It was a dragon..."

"A dragon?" Rose's father asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Rose..." It was Doctor Johnson's time to speak. "...There was no dragon. It was this boy. You were most likely hallucinating from blood loss--perhaps fear as well..."

Jake kept his eyes on Rose as she slowly shook her head. "N..No!" She said. "I...I know wh...what I sa...saw." Then, Jake could feel his heart sinking as she added: "It...It was a dragon. I...I kn...know it..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: There's Chapter Six. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

What A Wonderful Alternate World

Chapter Seven: Obsession

It had been a month since Rose had been raped, and it had been about three weeks since Rose had been released from the hospital. Rose had been relieved to learn that she had not been impregnated by her ordeal, and once she had regained enough of her strength and felt up to it, she had told the investigating police officers that one of her attackers had been Brad Morton; although she did not know the names of her other attackers, she had been able to point them all out to the police using her year book from the previous year. Rose's parents had been disappointed with her when they learned that she had kept the fact the Brad had been abusive away from them, but they were just so relieved that she was okay that they told her that it was in the past. Now, all of her attackers were in prison and were awaiting trial.

It was time for Rose to move on with her life. Start over. Get into a new relationship. There was just one problem: Rose couldn't move on.

Every time she fell asleep, Rose could see the red dragon standing over her in that alley. Her parents and the doctors thought that she was simply imagining things, but Rose knew what she had seen. She knew that there was a dragon in that alley. She knew that she was perfectly sane. There was only one thing for Rose to do, and Rose found it to be the only thing that brought her comfort after her attack. She had a purpose: she had to prove to everyone that she wasn't seeing things. She had to capture proof of the dragon. The only problem was that she did not know how to do that. The way Rose saw it, there was only one way to get answers: the boy from the hospital--the boy that the doctors claimed had saved her life.

Rose's parents had taken what Doctor Johnson had said to heart. They both watched anxiously for their daughter to show any signs of aggression, depression or suicidal tendencies. They wanted to do something to help their daughter, they wanted to help her find something to that would occupy her--When Rose had finally asked for them to loan her money to buy a camera, they had gladly agreed to loan her the money. Now, every day, everyone at Millard Fillmore Middle School would just stare at Rose as she entered the school, a digital camera hanging from a lanyard around her neck.

&*%

School had just let out, and Rose hurried out of the building. Pressing her back against the side of the school, Rose held her camera in her hands as she watched all of the students pour out of the school. Rose tried to take in all of the students, but the students soon cleared out. Rose could not see the boy who had saved her; there were only two people she could see: a boy and girl with skateboards in their hands. The girl had chocolate colored skin with her hair up in two buns, and the boy had a hat over his head, and a blue shirt with a green alien head on it.

Suddenly, the doors to the school opened, and Rose smiled as she watched the boy with the spiky green hair and red jacket rush up to them. "Hey guys..." He could hear him say. "...Sorry I'm late. Rotwood just wouldn't let up today! He's totally whack!"

"Yeah, Jakie..." the girl replied. "...So, you want to go to the skate park?"

"Sure..." the spiky haired boy, "Jakie". "...I don't have anything to do today. Gramps doesn't need me..."

&*%

Rose was relieved to see that the three had decided to walk to the skate park. Because of this, Rose was able to follow them, and as they finally arrived at the skate park, Rose stayed her distance, watching as the three walked into the park.

As Rose held up her camera, turning it on, Rose noticed that the three had climbed onto the top of the ramp. As Rose positioned her camera, the boy with the spiky hair put on his helmet and went down the ramp, coming up on the other side. The boy did a back-flip on his board, and he came back down, just as Rose snapped a picture.

Looking at the picture on her screen, Rose frowned when she saw that the picture only came out as a blur. Sighing, Rose decided to try again, but as she looked up, she gasped when she saw that there was a man with long hair, a black T-shirt and jean shorts. He also had a name tag that was on his shirt; it occurred to Rose that this man worked here.

"Excuse me, miss..." he said in a forced polite tone. "...I am afraid that there are no cameras allowed here..."

"What?" Rose asked, slowly standing up. "I don't mean to be rude, but I didn't see anything that said that. Where does it say that?"

The employee did not answer verbally; instead, he pointed to the left, and Rose could feel a wave of embarrassment hit her as she read a sign that read: _**No: Cameras, animals, children under the age of seven.**_

"Oh..." Rose didn't know what to say, but she tried to think of something anyway. "...I...uh...I'm sorry..."

"Miss, I'm going to need to relieve you of your camera..." the employee held out his hand.

Rose glanced from the employee to her camera, and then back to the employee. "No, that's not necessary..." Rose slowly found herself backing up. "...I'll...I'll just be on my way..."

"Miss..." the employee repeated. "I need your camera. You can have your parents pick it up for you later..."

"But..." Rose tried to defend herself, but she knew it wouldn't matter. Sighing. Rose handed over the camera and then turned, walking out of the park as quickly as her feet would take her. Once she was at a far enough distance from the park, Rose muttered to herself: "I was wasting my time with him anyway. I need proof of the dragon..."

&*%

Rose quickly entered her house and closed the door behind her. Just as she saw her mother coming out of the kitchen, Rose made her way over to the stairs and started to make her way up them. "Rose, I need to tell you something..." Rose's mother tried to tell her daughter.

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Rose asked, almost at the top of the stairs.

"Rose, this has to do with tomorrow..." Rose's mother continued. "...The trial is tomorrow. If Brad and the other boys who assaulted you are going to be found guilty, you are going to need to testify..."

Rose had managed to put her foot on the top step, but when she heard this news, she turned around, facing her mother. "What?" Rose asked. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, Rose..."

"I..." Rose stammered, running her hand through her hair. "...Do I have to go? I...I really don't want to..."

"Do you want to let Brad get away with what he did?"

"No, but..."

"Then yes, you need to go..."

"But Mom..." Rose found herself walking down the stairs. When she reached the bottom and was right at her mother's level. "...I don't want to go. They're going to make me re-live that moment. I...I don't want to..."

"Rose..."

"They're going to ask me everything!" Rose continued, a worried look on her face. "They're expecting me to tell everyone in that room that I was a helpless rape victim! I...I can't do it..."

"Rose, your father and I are going to be there..." Rose's mother told her, giving her daughter a tight hug. "Remember what we both promised you while you were in that hospital?"

"Yes..."

"What did we promise you?"

"That you were going to be there for me..." Rose repeated softly. "...You would never let me deal with this by myself..."

"Exactly..." Rose's mother released her arms from around her daughter's body. "...We've kept that promise until this point, and we have no intention of stopping anytime soon..."

"I know, but..."

"Rose..." Rose's mother put her hand under her daughter's chin. "...You need to do this..."

"But..."

"Rose..." Rose's mother stared deeply into her daughter's wide and worried eyes. "...We promise. After tomorrow, it will all be over. You'll never have to speak about it ever again..."

"You promise?" Rose asked, returning her mother's look.

"We promise..." Rose's mother smiled slightly. "...If Brad and the others are to pay, you'll need to tell the judge and the jury what they did to you. We know it's going to be hard. Please, Rose. Just take an hour or two to think about it..."

After saying this, Rose's mother turned and walked into the living room, but she stopped when she heard Rose: "Mom..." Turning around, Rose's mother watched as Rose took a deep breath, then said: "I don't need to think about it. I'll go..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

What A Wonderful Alternate World

Chapter Eight: The Trial

Brad's arms were crossed as he sat in his cell, fuming. "Bitch..." He muttered to himself as he sat alone. "That fucking bitch!" Tomorrow would be the trial...tomorrow would most likely be the day that he went to prison for God knew how long. It was all thanks to her. "That bitch..." Brad repeated, hissing. It had come to be quite a surprise when Brad had learned that his father wouldn't be able to just snap his fingers and get him off of the hook like he had thought. Sure, Brad's father had spent thousands of dollars for his defense, but with Rose testifying, it just wouldn't matter.

"That fucking bitch..." Brad gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "...I want to kill her!"

It would take a miracle for him get away with the crime he had committed...

&*%

"Rose!" Rose's mother whispered, stepping into her daughter's dark bedroom. Rose was on her bed, curled up under the sheets. Trying to be as silent as possible, Rose's mother walked over to the window in the room, and she grabbed the string, pulling it, opening up the curtains, letting in the sunshine.

Still trying to be quiet, Rose's mother walked over to her daughter's bed, and walking around it, she reached out and grabbed Rose's shoulder, gently shaking her. "Rose..." She whispered, only being answered with a low, annoyed groan. "Rose..." Rose's mother repeated softly, just as Rose slowly opened her eyes. "...Rose, you need to get up..."

"I don't wanna..." Rose whined, and she tried to reach out and grab her covers, but before she could, her mother grabbed her covers and pulled them off, exposing Rose in her pajamas. "Mom..."

"Come on, Rose..." Rose mother walked over to her daughter's closet and slid open the door. Rose groaned and sat up, watching as her mother took two coat hangers off of the bar and turned around, walking back over to Rose's bed. Rose looked down as her mother placed the clothes on her bed: a white blouse, a gray jacket, and gray slacks. "The trial is in two hours..." Rose's mother told her daughter. "...You need to get dressed, and then come on down stairs. I cooked you a nice, big breakfast..."

&*%

Rose's mother walked back into the kitchen, trying to hold herself high. As she sat down at the table, next to her husband who was sipping coffee, and also next to an empty seat that had a big plate full of eggs and toast on it, Rose's mother couldn't help but feel very worried about how the day would turn out.

She had no doubt that Brad would be found guilty. There was just too much evidence against him. However, what worried this mother was not knowing how the trial would affect her only daughter. She knew it would be difficult for Rose to go up in front of everyone in the courthouse and give a detailed account of what had happened to her from the moment of her abduction to the moment she woke up in the hospital. Just thinking about how much pain it cause her daughter upset her.

Rose's mother suddenly looked up from the table when she heard a loud sniffle. Rose was standing just outside of the kitchen, completely dressed in the blouse, jacket and slacks, as well as having her blonde hair tied into a loose pony-tail. "Mom..." Rose tried, giving another sniffle. "...I don't feel good..." In her hands was a tissue, which she brought to her nose, blowing.

Rose's mother crossed her arms. "Alright, sweetie..." She said. "...If that's the case, then why don't we take your temperature. If you have a fever, we can let you go back to bed..."

It did not surprise Rose's mother to see that her daughter froze, an uncertain look on her face. She had been caught in the act...

"Rose..." Rose's mother sighed. "...You agreed to do this..."

Rose's mother watched as Rose just stood there. Then, after hearing Rose mumble something that sounded an awful lot like "God damn it!", she watched as Rose slowly made it to the table and slowly sat down at her chair, ignoring the big breakfast that had been made for her.

Rose's mother felt like telling her daughter to mind her language, but instead, understanding how her daughter felt, she simply put her hand on her arm. "It's okay, Rose..." She said. "...We're here for you. And we always will be..."

&*%

Jake hopped off of his skateboard as he arrived at the doors of Millard Fillmore Middle School. Once inside, Jake was surprised to see that there were no people in the halls. Surprised, but not thinking too much of it, Jake shrugged and walked down the hall to his first class: Home Ec.

Opening the door, Jake was surprised to see that everyone was crowded around the television that was on the wall. "Yo, what's going on?" Jake asked.

It did not surprise Jake that it turned out to be Trixie and Spud that answered him. As Spud waved him over, Jake slowly walked over to his desk. "Yo, what's going on, guys?" He asked.

"Jakie, the trial!" Trixie told him.

"Uh, what trial?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what trial!" Trixie snapped. "Rose! Rose is testifying at Brad's trial!"

"Oh!" Jake nodded, but then he frowned. "Aw man! I gotta be there! I gotta be there for her!"

"Why, dude?" Spud asked. "She doesn't remember anything from her old Huntsgirl life..."

"Yeah, Jakie..." Trixie crossed her arms. "...You just want to be there for yourself..."

Jake froze at these words, but then he sighed and lowered his head. "You're right, Trix..." Jake admitted. "...I am. You weren't in that alley, guys. It was horrible. She looked so scared, so--so unlike my Rose..."

"It isn't your Rose, Jakie..." Trixie told him. "...You wished for her to have a happy life, and that's just what she got..."

"Does it look like she's happy, Trixie?" Jake demanded, before he lowered his tone. "...I have to go. I have to be there..."

&*%

Jake quickly landed right beside the court house, and he reverted to his human form before he walked around the building and started to walk up the steps that led to the big, wooden doors of the courthouse.

Pushing open the doors, Jake silently crept inside, walking passed all of the nicely dressed spectators dressed in fancy, expensive suits. Jake looked to the front of the house, and Jake quickly spotted Rose sitting at a table in the front of the room, seated next to a balding man wearing a blue suit. On the other side, sitting at another table, sat Brad, wearing a bright orange prison uniform, his hands out on the table, held together with shackles.

For an odd reason, Jake felt strangely happy that Brad was in this position, and as he walked down the room, taking a seat on the bench right behind Rose. As he sat down, he could hear a sniffling coming from beside him. Turning his head, Jake could see a woman with blonde hair sitting next to him; her eyes were wet with tears, and she had a tissue in her hand, which she used to dab her eyes. Next to her, with his arm over her shoulder, was a man wearing a green jacket with brown hair.

Jake assumed that these were Rose's parents. Yet, Rose had told him that she also had a twin. Where was her twin?

Jake was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the slamming down of the judge's gavel. Calling order to the court, the judge sat down, the bailiff standing beside the judge's podium. "All rise for the honorable Judge Joel."

Jake could see that everyone in the courtroom was rising to their feet, and he had to quickly bring himself to his feet. However, by this time, the entire population of the courthouse was now sitting back down. Jake quickly sat back down, as the man in the blue suit stood up, addressing the house.

"On the night of October 16th, defendant Brad Morton, along with his fellow jocks, kidnapped and sexually assaulted fourteen year old Rose Walker. Today, your honor will prove that Miss Walker was a victim of a brutal crime, committed by a young man that is a danger to society."

Jake watched as the lawyer sat down, and the next thing he knew, he could hear the other lawyer speaking: "Ladies and gentlemen of the court, your honor will prove today that the defendant, Bard Morton is innocent of the crime that he has been accused of..."

"And were there any witnesses?" the judge asked.

"No person saw the crime..." Brad's attorney said. "...However, there was the person who found the victim. He did not show up today. So, for my first set of questions, I will be calling to the stand, the doctor who treated the victim while she was in the hospital..."

Jake's eyes widened as he watched the doctor from the hospital walked up to the stand. He had not even been told that the trial was today. It was as if the entire court was against the real victim, Rose.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" Dr. Johnson was asked.

"I do." He answered, and he was allowed to sit down at the stand.

"Dr. Johnson..." Brad's lawyer said as he started to pace back and forth before the doctor. "...Is it true that on the night of the 16th, Miss Walker was admitted into your hospital?"

"Well, it isn't my hospital..." Dr. Johnson answered. "...But yes..."

"...And what proof, besides Miss Walker's word, ties my client to the crime?"

"Well, there were fingerprints on her clothing..." Dr. Johnson continued. "...As well as some evidence that was collected by the authorities--"

"...But how about bodily fluids?" Brad's attorney cut the doctor off. "Did the victim have any bodily fluids on her that could be traced back to my client?"

Dr. Johnson just stared at Brad's attorney, not saying a word; although, his eyes, which were burning with undeniable contempt, were words enough. Finally, Dr. Johnson sighed. "No..." He finally said. "...The semen that was collected apparently could not be traced back to any of her claimed assailants. The semen was mixed."

"And what does that mean?"

"The semen collected was a combination of a bunch of assailants..." Dr. Johnson replied. "...To put it simply, the semen can't be traced back to any of the boys that Miss Walker pointed out..."

"Then I rest my case..." Brad's attorney smiled as he turned and walked back over to the table where Brad sat. "...There is no evidence tying my client to the crime. All Dr. Johnson's testimony proves is that my client is the victim of a scared little girl who blindly pointed her finger at innocent people just to feel safe."

Jake could feel a wave of anger course through his body, and from his side, he could hear Rose's mother release a sob, and he didn't even want to see how Rose felt about what the attorney had said.

"Well, this trial is still not over..." Rose's lawyer slowly stood up. "...I'd like to call to the stand...the victim herself..."

Jake watched as Rose slowly stood up and slowly walked over to the stand. Jake watched from his seat as Rose took the vow before sitting down at the stand. Her lawyer got up from his seat and walked over to Rose.

"Okay, Miss Walker, can you tell me, and everyone in the courtroom, in your own words, what exactly happened on that night?" The lawyer asked, and, when Rose didn't respond right away, he narrowed it down for her. "You are certain that Brad Morton and his friends were your assailants?"

"Yes." Rose declared, no uncertainty in her tone, and she looked directly at Brad. "Yes, he is the one..."

"Can you tell the people of the court exactly what happened?" He asked her. "Take all the time you need. I know it will be hard..."

Rose could feel a sinking feeling in her chest, and she just stared at her lawyer, but as she looked into his eyes, she knew it had to be done. "Okay..." Rose slowly nodded, and she took a deep breath before she began. "...It was after school. I was walking home, when Brad drove up in his father's police cruiser. He...He started to talk with me, and...and...and. and before I knew i...it, I felt...hands...grabbing me..."

"Then what happened?"

"...Two of his..." Rose tried to continue, but she froze, as if she was having trouble breathing. However, she quickly swallowed, taking a deep breath, before continuing: "...His friends...got me from behind. They...They put tape over my mouth and handcuffed my hands behind my back..."

"Then what?"

"...They..." There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was difficult for the poor girl that was sitting at the stand. "...They...took me to an alley..." Rose stopped yet again, and she looked down, and Jake could tell that the girl was shaking; therefore, it did not surprise Jake to see that tears were streaming down her face. "...They...took me...to an...alley, and then they...they pulled down my..."

Once again, Rose stopped, and she closed her eyes, more tears forming. "It's okay..." The lawyer told her. "...Just try..."

"I..." Rose stopped again, and when she spoke again, her voice was small and quivering. "...I...I...I can't remember...It's a blur..."

&*%

Jake sat, seething in his seat as he waited for the judge and jury to return. Brad had gone up and spoken in his own defense, sworn that he had nothing to do with her attack, but Jake knew that he was lying. The only thing he did not know, though, was if if the jury fell for his lie.

The doors soon opened, and everyone re-entered the courthouse. Rose sat down in front of him, but Jake just watched as the judge sat down. Now was the moment of truth.

Once the house quieted down, the judge turned to the jury. "Have you reached a conclusion?" He asked.

The lead member of the jury stood up and nodded. "We have, your honor..." He said. "...And we find the defendant...not guilty..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: IT'S FINALLY HERE! So, what did you think? Please review. **


	9. Chapter 9

What A Wonderful Alternate World

Chapter Nine: Un-Calm Before the Storm

By the time Rose's parents drove up to the curb right outside their house, the sun had gone down, and the moon was high in the sky. Rose already had one hand on the handle to the door. Before Rose's father could even turn off the ignition, Rose used her other hand to pull off her seat belt as she opened the door and ran out of the car running up the steps.

"Rose!" Rose's mother called, opening the door and getting out of the car. "Rose, what's gotten into you?"

"Let me in!" Rose shouted, putting her hand on the knob and trying to turn it repeatedly, even though it was locked, resulting in the knob rattling.

"Rose, just calm down..." Rose's father closed the door to his side of the car. Pulling the house keys out of his pocket, he walked around the car and rejoined his wife as they walked up the steps. As her husband put the key in the lock and unlocked the door, Rose's mother looked at her daughter, now seeing her pale skin and shaking body.

However, before she could ask her daughter if she was okay, her husband pulled the key out of the lock and opened the door, Rose bolting into the house. "Hurry!" Rose ordered. "Come inside!"

"Rose, what's gotten into you?" Her father demanded as he and his wife entered the house. Rose, however, did not answer and rushed over to the door, closing and locking it. Now panting, Rose turned around to face her parents. "Rose, what's wrong with you?" He asked again.

"I'm..." Rose started to say, but she stopped herself, before she tried again. "I'm...not...I'm not safe..."

"What do you mean?" Rose's father asked. "Of course you're safe!"

To the surprise of both of her parents, Rose quickly shook her head. "No..." She insisted. "...He's going to come...Brad's coming..."

&*%

Brad stood at the front desk at the police station. The uniformed female officer put a box on the counter, which when Brad looked inside, he could see that it contained all of the belongings he had on him when he was arrested. Scowling, Brad looked away from the box and looked down at his fingers, which were marked with black ink.

"You can go now, sir..." the female officer told him.

Brad looked up, glaring at the officer as he grabbed the box, turning around and walking away from the desk, just as the phone on the desk rang. "Hello, New York Police Department, what's your emergency?" She asked.

"Bitch..." Brad growled, and proceeded to storm out of the station, but as he did, Brad glanced over at the small desk that was right by the door to the station, and as he looked, Brad's eyes widened as he saw the shape of a Glock on the desk, and as he got closer, Brad could see that gun.

Quickly glancing back to see if the officer was looking, Brad could see that she wasn't, as she was busy with the call. Quickly, Brad grabbed the gun and placed it in his box before he exited the station.

&*%

Rose decided to take a look at her wristwatch as she sat on a stool in front of the front window; according to her watch, it was 12:45 in the morning. As she lowered her wrist, Rose returned her look-out. Another thirty seconds passed by before she yawned, feeling a rush of exhaustion hit her.

As she looked out the window again, Rose knew that she needed to stay awake, but it was getting very hard, and within seconds, Rose lowered her head and drifted off to sleep.

&*%

_Rose once again found herself in the alley. Rose moaned as she looked up at the dark sky. Rolling her head back to the side, Rose tried to move, but to her surprise, she couldn't move. It was then that she realized that her hands were behind her back, locked together with handcuffs. After realizing this, Rose looked down and also saw that her skirt was pulled down._

_Suddenly, a flash of lightening flashed through the sky, and in the light, Rose's eyes widened when Brad was standing in the alley, a cruel smile on his face. _

_"Hey, Rose..." Brad then reached into his pocket, and with a clicking sound, Rose's eyes widened even more as she realized it was a gun, which Brad was now pointing at her head. "...You know the best thing about having a cop for a dad? You get to use his gun..."_

_Then, Brad let out a cruel laugh as he put his finger on the trigger. Rose shook her head, and she tried to be Brad not to pull the trigger, but her pleas were muffled, as if something had been placed over her mouth. In any case, Brad ignored her pleas, and he pulled the trigger._

_Rose could hear a loud "bang" sound, and for Rose, the bullet ejected out of the barrel slowly, and Rose's eyes widened as the bullet slowly came toward her..._

&*%

"AAHH!" Rose quickly sat up, sweat pouring down her face. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and her breaths came out quick. Slowly starting to realize that it was just a room, Rose started to look around the dark house.

&*%

Rose's mother and father were both sleeping on their bed in their dark bedroom, completely unaware that their door was creaking as Rose pushed it open. Light footprints could be heard as Rose silently made her way to the bed. Once she arrived at her father's side of the bed, she gently put her hand up his shoulder and gently shook.

"Dad..." Rose whimpered, gently shaking until she got a response.

Rose's father groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. sitting up, he reached over to his nightstand and switched on the lamp. Once his eyes adjusted to the new light, Rose's father turned to see his daughter standing beside the bed. "Rose..." He began, about to tell his daughter to go to bed, but when he saw the tears running down his cheeks, he quickly changed his mind. "Baby..." He asked instead. "...Baby, what's wrong?" As he spoke to her, his wife groaned as she sat up.

"What's going on?" Rose's mother asked.

"It's Rose..." Her husband answered, just as Rose wrapped her arms around him.

"Daddy..." Rose held him tightly, resting her chin on her as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Rose, talk to us..." Rose's mother urged.

"I..." Rose started, her voice choked by forced back sobs. "...I had a...dream. Brad, he--"

"Say no more..." Rose's mother cut her off. "...Rose, you're safe in this house. He can't touch you in here. You are perfectly safe..."

"We will NEVER let him harm you, Rose..." Rose's father told his daughter.

Rose sniffled as she slowly released her father. "Okay..." Rose managed. "...But...can I sleep in here tonight?"

&*%

It was early in the morning, and Rose sat on the couch; her arms were wrapped around her legs, pressing her knees up to her chest. The TV was on, and as it was her mother's idea to keep her mind off of Brad, she was supposed to be watching, but Rose wasn't. The only thing she was thinking about was that she had to get out of the house.

If Brad were to come looking for here, the house would be the first place he would look. If she was out of the house, she might be able to avoid Brad completely.

"Anything good on?" Rose turned her head to the side at the sound of her father's voice. Rose's father came around the couch and sat down right next to his daughter. "Anything on?" He repeated.

"Dad..." Rose finally said. "...I have to get out of here...I have to get out of this house..."

"Now, Rose..." Rose's father sighed. "...Your mother and I strongly feel that you should stay inside for today..."

"But, Dad!" Rose continued frantically. "If Brad really wants to get me, this is the first place he'll look! I'm not safe here!"

"Rose, do you know how silly that sounds?" Rose's father asked, bringing his hand up to his daughter's head and running it through her blonde hair. "I'm sure that Brad is smart enough to know that if he comes within your eye sight, there will be trouble. Besides, even if he does come back, we'll protect you...You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"Then don't worry, baby..." Rose's father removed his hand from his daughter's head and he got up, and started to walk away. "...You're perfectly safe..."

"Dad, please!" Rose tried again, making her father turn around to face her again. "Please...I don't feel safe here. Please, let me go out. I promise I won't be gone too long..."

Looking at his daughter's pleading face, Rose's father wanted to be stern and to tell her no, but he found that he couldn't. Sighing, Rose's father nodded: "Alright..."

&*%

Rose closed the door to her house before she hurried down the steps. From inside the house, Rose's father watched from the window as his daughter turned and ran down the sidewalk.

"Honey..." Rose's father turned around as his wife came out of the kitchen. "...Did you go outside?"

"No..." Rose's father replied. "...Rose convinced me to let her go out for a few hours...."

"What?!" To his surprise, his wife seemed livid at his confession. "Why did you do that?! She was safe here! We could protect her here! Out there, if she runs into Brad again, who knows what could happen!"

"She just said that she would feel safer away from home..."

"I don't believe that..." Rose's mother stated. "...Here, we can protect her. This house is the safest place for her..."

No sooner had those words left her mouth, did they hear a crashing noise coming from upstairs. "That sounded like Rose's room!" Rose's father realized.

Both parents reacted quickly; rushing up the stairs and down the hall until they threw open the door, just in time for both of them to gasp.

Brad was standing in the room, and when he noticed them, he quickly extended his arm toward them, pointing his gun. "Where's Rose-a-licious?" He asked.

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Ooh, what's going to happen now? Well, there are only two chapters (plus and epilogue) left, so you'll soon find out. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

What A Wonderful Alternate World

Chapter Ten: Dragon Revealed

_Alright, Rose. _Rose thought to herself as she walked down the sidewalks. _You have all day to do whatever you can think of. The only thing you have to do is avoid home at all costs. So, what's it going to be?_

_How about going to get my camera?_

Rose froze when she heard that voice in the back of her mind. With Brad getting off the hook for his crime against her, Rose had completely forgotten about her camera, which had been confiscated from her after she brought it into the skate park. Getting it back seemed like a good idea for her plan for the day.

Having made up her mind, Rose stopped at the nearest cross walk, and after crossing the street, started on her way to the skate park...

&*%

Rose could feel a twinge of nervousness as she reached the skate park. What if the employee wouldn't give her back her camera? He had said that her parents needed to claim it for her. Still, Rose knew she had to try.

As she walked through the open gate into the park, Rose immediately saw the stand, where the employee was seated. There were skateboards, roller skates, pads and other supplies. Rose had no doubt in her mind that there was also a lost and found, or in Rose's case, a stolen and to be gotten back, as well.

Rose took a deep breath as she slowly approached the stand. She could see that the employee was reading a comic book, and he didn't look up from his book until he realized that there was somebody waiting for service. "Can I help yo..." He asked, but then he stopped. "...Well, look who it is? Have you come here to skate rather than take pictures?"

"I came here to get my camera back." Rose stated calmly, and after a moment, she decided that it would be wiser to be polite. "Please..." She added.

"No can do..." the employee replied. "...I told you when I confiscated the thing, your parents need to come get it..."

"But..." Rose tried.

"There's no arguing this matter..." the employee replied, returning to his comic book. "...It's park policy. Why should I risk my job for some girl I don't even know?"

"Well, because..." Rose tried to think of a reason, but before she could officially decide, Rose could hear a loud thud coming from behind her, followed by a loud wail of pain. Rose figured that some younger kid must have fallen off of their skateboard.

"Oh, shit!" the employee quickly jumped from his chair, and he reached down, apparently fishing for something. Finally, when the employee pulled his arms up, Rose could see that it was a first aid kit. The employee got out of his chair and ran off to the scene of the accident, leaving Rose alone.

At first, Rose just stood there, unsure of whether to help or to just leave. Then, it suddenly hit her as she looked at the empty chair that the employee had been sitting in. She could just take her camera back. While Rose had always been taught, and believed, that stealing was wrong, she couldn't help but think that her camera had been stolen from her. She was simply...just stealing it back...

Walking around the stand, Rose could see that there were three shelves on the other side. The top one was where the cash register was stashed, the second was the lost and found, and the third, was a separate rack, where she could see various items, and one of those items just happened to be her camera.

As Rose wrapped her fingers around her camera again, she couldn't help but smile, but the smile soon faded as she looked up to see if the employee was coming back. The employee was still kneeling beside the injured kid, but Rose knew that she had to get out of the park and make her getaway.

Rose quickly started to walk away from the stand and she started to make her way to the exit, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see the boy with spiky green hair and red jacket holding onto his skateboard as he also walked toward the exit. _Just my luck! _Rose thought excitedly as she hurried her pace, making her way out through the gate just seconds before the boy reached it.

Outside of the park, Rose took a step back and raised her camera, just as the boy stepped out and turned his back to her without even noticing her, preparing to walk the other way.

&*%

Jake felt worn out, but happy by his time skateboarding. To Jake, there was nothing better than letting off steam at the skate park after a long day. Doing a few tricks, impressing a few hot girls...

Jake took a glance to both his sides to make sure that there was no-one watching him before he finally calmed himself and shouted: "Dragon up!"

Blue light and flames engulfed Jake's body as he morphed, transforming into a tall, scaly dragon. As soon as the transformation was complete, Jake flared his wings, and was about to take off, but before he could, he heard a click, and he could feel a bright light hit his back as the camera flashed. Then, he heard something drop, breaking into several pieces.

Quickly reverting to his human form, Jake turned around, gasping when he saw Rose standing before him, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open, and her body completely stiff.

"Aw man!"

END CHAPTER

**A/N: It is finally here, and it is kind of short for once. Sorry. So, can you please tell me what you thought with a review. **


	11. Chapter 11

What A Wonderful Alternate World

Chapter Eleven: Home Invader Strikes

"Aw man!" Jake moaned as he saw Rose standing in front of him, her eyes wide with shock. _Aw man, she's just going to stand there! _Jake thought. _Someone's gonna see us! I gotta do something! _So, thinking quickly, Jake flared his wings and lunged for Rose. Rose let out a startled gasp of shock as Jake grabbed her and flew up into the air, just as an ambulance pulled up at the curb.

Now high in the sky, Jake looked down at Rose, half expecting her to be scared out of her mind, possibly even screaming. However, to Jake's surprise, Rose was just staring up at him, her eyes wide, her mouth gaping open. She didn't scream...she just stared at him.

Finally, Jake reached the roof of someone's house, and he quickly set her down on her feet as he reverted to his human form. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a poor choice, as Rose was still too shocked, and the girl stumbled backwards before she fell into a sitting position. "You're--you're--you're a...dragon..." Rose stuttered as Jake stepped closer to her.

"Rose, please listen to me..." Jake told her, but Rose kept stammering.

"...I...I...I knew it!" She continued. "I kn...kne...knew I was right! I sa...saw you! I knew it!"

"Rose..." Jake took a step toward her. "...Please let me explain..."

However, before Jake could continue, Rose beat him to it: "What were you doing in that alley? How do you know my name? How the hell can you possibly be a dragon? How the hell can dragons be real?" All of these questions, she pelted on Jake.

A little surprised, Jake tried his best to answer the questions, but as he continued to look at the somewhat worried and freaked out look on Rose's face, he decided that it was best if he told her this in his human form. Sighing, Jake felt his form fading, and Rose tensed as the now human Jake knelt down right in front of her.

"Rose..." He said. "...Do you remember what I told you when you first woke up in the hospital? I told you that--"

"That there are things that are better left in the past..." Rose cut him off, an annoyed look on her face. "...But that made no sense at all. The first time we met was the day before..."

"Yeah..." Jake replied softly, looking down. "...You're right. I guess...I just...got...caught up in the moment..."

"What moment?" Rose snapped. "There was no moment! I was in the hospital after being viciously assaulted!"

Jake's eyes widened in shock when he heard Rose's angry comment, and he quickly realized that he had said the wrong thing. He HAD BEEN happy to see her, and he HAD BEEN relieved to see her awake, and hopefully, as he wasn't really sure at that time, on the road to recovery. So, that was what Jake decided to tell her: "I was happy to see that you were going to be okay..."

As Jake said this, he looked up and saw that Rose's angry look had disappeared, and now she looked like she felt bad. "Really?" Rose asked him. "But...you don't know me. You...were glad to see that I was okay?" Rose stopped, and she just sat there, looking like she was about to start crying. Finally, she opened her mouth, and she muttered: "S...Sorry..."

"What for?" Jake asked.

"...Fo...For b...being rude..." Rose answered slowly, as tears slowly started to form in her eyes. "...I...I'm s...so sorry..."

"No, no..." Jake could feel his heart breaking for the girl sitting in front of him as the newly formed tears started to roll down her cheeks, and without even thinking about what he was doing, Jake got closer to Rose and wrapped his arms around her upper body, pulling her closer to him. "...You have nothing to be sorry for, Rose..."

Feeling overwhelmed, Rose just sat there, allowing him to hold her, rubbing her back as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's okay, Rose..." Jake told her. "...Shh...It's okay. You weren't being rude."

Rose sniffled, listening to Jake's calming words. "It...It's just..." Rose started again. "...I've...S...So much ha...has happened. It's bee...been really hard..."

"I know, Rose..." Jake told her comfortingly, then, wanting to calm her down, he decided to tell her what she had wanted to know: "...I know your name from the school yearbook..." He lied. "...I wandered into the alley by mistake. As for how dragons are real, all I can say is that I'm not even that sure myself..." As he spoke, he continued to rub her back. "...All I can say is that it runs in my family. I inherited it from my grandfather and my mom..."

As Jake spoke, he could tell that Rose was calming down, due to her sniffling starting to cease, and he body starting to relax. Giving one final sniffle, Rose pulled away from Jake, and she looked at him with teary eyes. "Thanks..." She told him, her voice cracking. "Um, what's your name again?"

"Jake..." Jake told her, a small smile on his face.

"Jake..." Rose repeated, returning the small smile; however, her smile quickly disappeared when she heard a ringing coming from the pocket of her pants. Jake watched as Rose reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Rose looked down at the small screen, which had a blue glow coming from it. "...It's my parents..." Rose told Jake, looking up at him again. "...They want me back home..." Rose slowly got to her feet.

"Hey!" Jake smiled at her as he joined her on his feet. "Why don't I give you a ride home? It'll be quicker."

"I..." Rose put an uncertain look on her face, while she clasped her hands together, putting them up against her stomach. "...I...I don't know, Jake..."

"Come on..." Jake urged her, smiling. "...It's perfectly safe. Come on. Let me show you..."

Rose just stood, not sure what to do; Jake took this time to step back. "DRAGON UP!" He called out, hunching over slightly as he crossed his arms, transforming into a red dragon in a bright light. Rose took a step back on impulse, but Jake could see the interest in her eyes, the curiosity...

"Come on..." Jake said again. "...I feel like I owe ya..."

"Owe me?" Rose asked in surprise. "I think you mean that I owe you..."

"Listen, babe..." Jake replied, giving her a cocky smile. "...Either way, I think you'll be getting on my back..."

"Oh really?" Rose asked, not being able to help but smile at his confidence. Then, slowly, Rose took a step forward as Jake turned around so that his back was facing her, then he got down on all fours. Rose took a deep breath and climbed onto his back. "Where do I hold on?" She asked.

"Wrap your arms around my neck..." Jake told her, and once he felt Rose do as he instructed, he stood straight up on two feet. "...Now, if you feel like you're about to fall off, don't hesitate to tighten your hold..."

"Won't that choke you?" Rose asked.

"Nah..." Jake replied. "...Just don't, whatever you do, grab my left ear..."

"Why not?"

"It's..." Jake replied slowly, feeling awkward telling Rose this, since she had know the reason before he had created this alternate universe with the skulls. "...My...weak...spot..."

Then, Jake spread his wings, and with Rose on his back clutching onto his neck, he flew off of the building and into the air.

&*%

After a few minutes of flying through the air, Jake felt one of Rose's arms leave his neck as she pointed down at one of the houses below. "That one's it..." Rose told him. Jake nodded, and he quickly dived down to the ground, landing right next to the steps that led to the front door of the house.

Rose released her arms from around Jake's neck, and slid to the ground. "Thanks for the ride..." Rose told Jake before Jake reverted to his human form, and Rose reached the door. However, just before Rose was about to turn the knob, she turned around, releasing the knob as she faced Jake. "...Would...would you like to come in?" Rose finally asked.

Inside, Jake could feel his heart skip a beat, and he almost felt like jumping into the air, pumping his fists, and shouting "WOO-HOO!", but he didn't. Instead, Jake simply smiled. "Uh, sure..." Jake then followed Rose up the stairs. Rose smiled slightly as Jake reached the top step before she turned and turned the knob, pushing the door open.

"Hmm..." Rose muttered as she and Jake stepped inside, finding the house completely dark. "...That's odd..." Rose continued as she closed the door behind Jake after he followed her inside. Then, Rose reached up and flipped the light-switch, filling the room with light. "...Mom, Dad..." Rose called out. "...I'm sure you remember him, but I want you to meet J--"

However, before Rose could finish her sentence, she gasped as she saw her parents, both sitting in two hardwood chairs placed next to the other, bound tightly to it, cloths stuffed into their mouths. "Mom! Dad!" Rose exclaimed, and she quickly rushed over to them, pulling out the cloth in her father's mouth. "Dad, what happened?" Rose asked.

"Rose!" Her father tried to warn her daughter, but Rose cut him off.

"I'll call the police!" She said, then she glanced behind at Jake. "Jake, get them free!" Rose then ran right into the kitchen, leaving Jake to face Rose's restrained parents. Sighing, Jake kneeled down and started to reach out for the ropes wrapped around her father's upper body, keeping him the chair.

However, before Jake could grab the ropes, Rose's father's eyes widened, and he spoke quickly: "Behind you, son!"

"Huh?" Jake asked, more to himself than to anyone else, Jake turned his head to the side, his eyes widening as he saw a Glock pointing right at his head, Brad grinning as he cocked the gun.

"Hey there, Jerk Long..."

&*%

In the kitchen, Rose took a calming breath as she held the phone in her hands, dialing 9-1-1. Once she had the numbered dialed, she put the phone to hear, and she waited for her call to be picked up, listening to the ringing. Finally, her call was answered: "9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

Feeling relieved to get an answer, Rose started to open her mouth, but before she could form any words, she jumped in surprise and dropped the phone when she heard a loud bang coming from the front room. As the phone hit the floor, Rose paled, feeling a tightness in her chest that made her feel like she was about to have a heart attack, and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest.

Without even thinking about what she was doing, Rose bolted, running into the front room, only to gasp as she came to a screeching halt in the front room. Although Jake was standing, his back to her, and next to her parents, Rose could see who they were facing.

"Brad..." Rose gasped, her heart rising to her throat.

Brad glanced from Jake, and she stared at Rose, a cruel smile spreading onto his face. "Hey, Rose-a-licious..." He said. "...How ya doin', babe?"

Rose wanted nothing more than to tell Brad to get out of the house, to never come back. But it was as if an imaginary piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth; she was speechless, and was reduced to a state of shaking. Jake, her parents...her. They were all in mortal danger.

It was a battle. It was painful. But Rose managed to find her voice. "Wh...What do you want?" Rose asked. She didn't want to play the role of the brave idiot whose ignorance led to the ones she cared about losing her lives. Brad was waving a gun in the faces of her, Jake, and her parents. She was scared. There was no denying it. _The only kind of person who wouldn't be scared..._ Rose tried to assure herself. _...Would be some kind of well-trained ninja..._

Still, even though she tried to assure herself with that fact, Rose knew that she wasn't a well-trained ninja. But then, she could tell that Jake didn't seem worried; he just looked angry. Not being able to resist the need to feel safe, Rose found herself unconsciously walking toward to Jake, and she didn't realize that she was doing so until she was right next to Jake.

Brad didn't seem to care that Rose was now closer to him; instead, he actually seemed to be happy, and he spoke: "I think you know what I want..." He said. "...You testified against me at the trial. Maybe you didn't think that would have hurt me..."

"It wouldn't have hurt you enough..." Jake growled. "...Especially after what you did to hurt her!"

"Hey, shut up, Jerk Long!" Brad snapped. "I'm not talking to you!"

"Why don't you make me shut up, punk?!" Jake fearlessly shot back.

Rose could feel her heart sink with fear. Jake was brave, there was no doubt about that, most likely because of his dragon powers. But could dragon powers protect him from a gun? Rose didn't think so, and her eyes widened when she saw Brad's face contort with anger. She heard a whooshing sound as Brad lifted the gun, aiming it at Jake.

"No..." Rose gasped, and without thinking, she lunged to the side, blocking Jake's body, just as the gun went off with a loud bang. Shocked, Jake could only watch as Rose's body jerked, falling backwards, right into his arms. Catching Rose, Jake held his breath as he held onto her, slowly falling to his knees; once his knees, he held her closely, almost cradling her. He could hear her parents both screaming out her name, the faint sound of ropes being pulled at, and the front door slamming closed, no doubt Brad fleeing, but Jake didn't care.

Rose's eyes were wide, almost as if they were screaming in agony as Rose herself took many quick, short breaths. As he held her, Jake glanced at the area where she had been shot; right at the spot where the bullet had entered her was where the blood was oozing out from, soaking her shirt. His heart sinking, Jake tried to slowly set Rose down on the floor and remove his arms from her, but he stopped when he sensed Rose's wide eyes staring straight at him.

"...J...Ja...Jake--" She tried.

"I'll be right back, Rose..." Jake told her as calmly as he could, even though his heart was pounding. "...You're going to be okay. I'm going to call an ambulance..."

As he looked down at Rose, he could see that she tried to shake her head. "D...Don...Don't lea...leave me..." Rose begged slowly, painfully. "...Pl...Ple...Please..."

His heart breaking for the girl lying in his arms, Jake could only stared down at her, holding her in her arms. "Okay..." He told her softly, just as he heard a thud, chairs falling to the floor.

"Call an ambulance!" Jake could hear Rose's mother order. Then, Jake could hear two sets of footsteps, and the next thing he knew, Rose's mother was kneeling down on the other side of Jake. "It's okay, Rose..." She told her daughter calmly, although Jake could tell that she was just as frightened as he was. "...Your father is calling an ambulance..."

Rose tried her best to nod, to show her mother that she could comprehend what she was saying, but as Jake looked down at her, he could tell that Rose's breathing was becoming quicker and shorter; Jake could also see that there was some blood coming from the sides of her mouth.

"R...Rose..." Jake started, his throat becoming constricted, and he knew that tears were on their way. Rose glanced up at his face as she continued to pant, and Jake tried his best to keep from losing it as he made up his mind--Rose had to know the truth. No more lies...

Struggling to hold back the tears, Jake removed one of his arms from underneath Rose, and he brought it up to his jacket, unzipping it, reaching in, and pulling out a folded Polaroid. Unfolding it, Jake brought it down to Rose's eye level. "...Yo...You know h...how I tol...told you th...that I knew yo...you fr...from the yearbook? Well, I...I li...lied..."

Rose just stared at the picture as she continued to breathe quickly, and she slowly brought up one of her hands, taking hold of it and bringing it down to her eye level. Jake watched Rose, his eyes widening as he saw Rose's pupils widen, and her body started to shake, almost as if she was having a seizure.

After about thirty seconds--the longest thirty seconds in Jake's life--Rose stopped shaking, and she slowly lowered her hand to her chest, the Polaroid touching. Jake's eyes then started to shed the previously repressed tears as Rose stared up at him with her wide eyes, a small smile appearing on her paling face.

Then, she spoke: "Th...Tha...Thank y...yo...you, D...Dra...Dragon Bo...Boy..."

Then, as quickly as her smile had appeared, it faded, and Rose exhaled slowly, releasing a sigh as her eyes fluttered shut, her head rolling to the side, her face facing Jake's chest.

Jake stared down at Rose's motionless for, the tears now coming freely. "Rose?" He could hear her mother asking, but Jake knew that Rose wouldn't be answering. The only problem was that he couldn't say it out loud.

Jake did all he could--he squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth as he tightened his grip on Rose's body, pressing it closer to him. He didn't open his eyes until he heard more footprints, and he looked up, seeing Rose's father with the phone in his hand.

"The ambulance is on its wa..." He started, but he stopped when he saw the sight in front of him. His hopeful look fading away, Rose's father dropped the phone to the ground, where it once again hit the floor with a thud. Rose's father then slowly made his way over to his daughter's body, falling to his knees next to his wife.

The three just sat there together, mourning the loss of Rose, until they could hear the sirens of the ambulance arriving about ten minutes later.

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, there's only one chapter left, and it is for the epilogue. So, if you'd like to read it, it'll either be up tomorrow, Thursday or Friday. **

**Yeah, Rose died. I have to admit, I knew it was going to happen since about Chapter Three. For those of you who are upset and/or angry, I just want to say that I thought it was really fitting. So, that's why I decided to end it this way. **


	12. Chapter 12

What A Wonderful Alternate World

Epilogue

It had been about a week since Rose had died, and about a day after her funeral. Jake had missed the funeral, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything, and he hadn't for the last week. All Jake could bring himself to do was lie on his stomach on his bed, staring at the picture that had been taken of him and Jake and the dance...all before Rose's suffering began, in her alternate life. It had been in Rose's hands when she had died, and it had been one of the last things that she had seen.

Brad had been caught. He had been found hiding out in a rundown apartment by two patrolling officers. At first, the two officers thought he had been a runaway, but when they realized that he matched the description of a home invader that had taken the life of a fourteen year old girl, he had been arrested on suspicion. Even more damning evidence had been found when one of the police officers had gone searching around the apartment after Brad had been subdued. The officer had found the gun that Brad had been carrying, which not only matched the description of the Glock that had been reported missing by the police department, but also carried the exact same type of bullet that the coroner had fished out of Rose's body at the morgue.

Although Brad had yet to be arraigned for a trial, there was enough evidence linking him to the crime to either put him away for life, or send him to death row. That was, if he was tried as an adult.

That didn't matter to Jake, though. Rose was dead, and there was nothing that could bring her back.

Jake sighed as he continued to stare at the picture, tears starting to form in his eyes. He was so lost in the picture that he did not even notice the sound of his door creaking as it opened. That was, until he grunted slightly, feeling some type of cloth hitting his body. Rolling over, Jake could see his clothes lying beside him and his mother, Susan Long, at the door.

"Jake..." She sighed. "...You need to get out of this house..."

"Maybe later..." Jake muttered, rolling back over onto his stomach.

"No..." Susan said. "...Now. If you aren't dressed and in the car in five minutes, you'll be grounded for two weeks..."

"I don't want to go anywhere..." Jake growled.

"Jacob Luke Long..." Susan put her hands on her hips. "...You missed the funeral. You do know that, right?"

"So?"

"...Don't you want to say goodbye?"

&*%

Jake growled mentally as he got out of his mother's car, closing the door and starting to walk up the hill, making his way to the newest grave. As he walked toward Rose's final resting place, Jake glanced down, wanting to make sure that he was still holding the single rose that he had picked in his hand.

Before Jake knew it, he reached the mound of dirt that Rose was lying under. Staring at it, Jake could feel his heart sinking. He couldn't believe that Rose was gone. The Rose that he had tried so hard to protect and repeatedly save...was gone forever.

Sniffling, Jake knelt down, placing the lone rose on top of the mound of dirt. As soon as the rose touched the mound, Jake stood back up, sighed, and then turned, walking back over to his mom's car.

&*%

Jake's family had done everything in their power to keep Jake out of the house for the rest of the day. Susan drove Jake around the city for several hours, and then finally, the entire family went out for dinner, and then went out to another restaurant for desert.

Jake went along with it; he didn't have any choice. But he didn't cheer up. Throughout dinner, Jake just sat there, watching as his family tried to engage him in conversation. But Jake didn't want to join in. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

By the time the Long family returned home, it was about 10 o'clock in the evening. With much relief, Jake went into his room, put his pajamas back on, and collapsed on his bed. Jake immediately closed his eyes, starting to relax himself. Sleep came surprisingly quick, and along with the relieving feeling of sleep, came another relieving feeling. As Jake drifted off into the land of slumber, he found himself engulfed in a kind of warmth, and his mind quickly drifted to the thought of Rose. For a reason unknown to him, Jake felt like Rose appreciated the gift over her final resting place. He would never be able to explain it, but somehow, he just had that feeling--somehow, Rose appreciated what he had done.

&*%

Another month had passed since Rose's death. Brad had been convicted of murder, and he had been sentenced to a life behind bars, with no hope for parole. There was also other good news: the morning after Jake went to visit Rose's grave, Jake had woken up in a much better mood, and he had remained in that same good mood for the past month.

No one knew exactly why Jake cheered up, but they were just so relieved that they didn't care why. The only thing that mattered to them was that Jake was back to his old self.

&*%

The bell had rung throughout Millard Fillmore Middle School, releasing all of the students. Trixie and Spud joined up outside the school, waiting for Jake. They both intended to invite him to skate park with him.

Finally, when Jake exited the school, both Trixie and Spud called out to him and walked over to him. "Hey, Jakie!" Trixie greeted, Jake returning their smile. "Spudinski and I were going to go to the skate park. So, ya up for it?"

"Nah, Trix..." Jake told her, dropping his backpack to the ground and unzipping it, pulling out a bouquet of roses. "...I'm actually going to the cemetery. Rose's gravestone was put in this morning..."

&*%

Jake clutched the roses tightly as he returned up the hill that led to Rose's grave. Finally reaching the final resting place of the girl he loved, Jake looked down, looking at the polished and beautiful marker:

_**Rose Walker**_

_**1993-2007**_

On her marker, beside her name, was a beautiful carving of a rose. _Fitting..._Jake thought to himself as he knelt down, preparing to place the roses on the marker. However, the sight of something else right below Rose's marker stopped him; upon a closer look, Jake's eyes widened as he recognized it as the rose that he had placed at her grave a month earlier.

Despite its age, the rose had not yet wilted up and died. On the contrary. The rose was as colorful and as beautiful as ever, still in full bloom.

END

**A/N: So, I have finally finished the story. Tell me what you think of the end with a review. **


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